


The vampire and the hunter

by filhadoboto



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Finn and Poe are a couple, Kylo Ren is a hunter, Kylo wants revenge on the vampires who killed his family, M/M, Rey decides to help him, Rey is a vampire, Rey turns Finn into a vampire, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo Monster Week, Reylo vampire, reylo au, reylo monster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 18:12:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16413377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/filhadoboto/pseuds/filhadoboto
Summary: Kylo Ren is a vampire hunter and is in the middle of a hunt when he meets a vampire he finds himself unable to kill.





	The vampire and the hunter

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for Reylo Monster Week 2018 - Day 1: Vampires
> 
> English is not my native language, sorry for grammar errors (In google translate I trust!).

Some primitive instinct roused Rey from her daytime rest.

The first thing the still numbed senses of her recorded was the smell. The strong, pungent smell of blood and burned flesh. Death.

And then the screams awoke her for good.

A bunch of hunters had found their refuge and was killing everyone there. She had settled in the back of the huge warehouse, and if the hunters were getting close to her, that meant that practically everyone sleeping there had already turned to ashes. She had to do something or she would get killed, too.

A man shouted from somewhere near her coffin. Heavy footsteps approached the place where she was and she felt the adrenaline rush through her body as the lid of her coffin was suddenly opened and thrown sideways.

The first thing her eyes recorded was the sunlight. The hunters had made holes in the walls and ceiling and sunlight flooded the place, creating a deadly trap for the vampires who could wake up and leave their coffins. Most of those there were too young to be able to defend themselves in the sunlight and probably wouldn’t even wake up until they were on fire.

Her eyes took a few moments to get accustomed with sudden clarity and in panic, she stared at the man above her with a sword ready either to pierce her heart or to separate her head from her body.

Rey had never seen him, but she knew exactly who that man was. The few who survived an encounter with him were unanimous about his appearance: tall, pale, muscled, black hair like the night and the eyes of a madman. The man about to put an end to her cursed existence was Kylo Ren, the most feared vampire hunter of recent times.

For a moment the two just stared at each other. There was something in his eyes that seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had seen those eyes in another life. His eyes roamed her face, frowning. His face was sweaty and stained with the blood and ashes of his victims, his shaggy black hair framing his face. The hatred in his eyes seemed to shift to something between recognition and doubt, and then, as if she had become invisible, he simply turned around and went to the next coffin.

She heard as Kylo Ren opened the next coffin and the cry that followed when the vampire went into instantaneous combustion. Slowly, she sat up and could contemplate the work of Kylo Ren. There were coffins in flames and charred bodies on all sides. She'd already witnessed the destruction that vampire hunters were capable of causing, but nothing that she had seen could be compared to what she was seeing now. It was with a mixture of panic and, surprisingly, respect that she understood that all this hadn’t been the work of a band of hunters. Mixed in the scent of vampire death, there was only the scent of a human. Kylo Ren was alone and had killed about eighty vampires by himself. And from her calculations, there were no more than ten left so he could kill everyone in that refuge, including herself.

Her brain seemed to have frozen and she couldn’t think of any way out. Until she saw a swift shadow move past where she was and then saw it collide with Kylo Ren's massive body. The two began to fight and Kylo Ren's cry filled her ears. He was being wounded and maybe he was finally defeated. When he screamed again, she awoke from her apathy. Carefully, Rey came out of her coffin and, avoiding being touched by the sunlight, went as far as the two of them struggled. The vampire, Lucca was his name, held Kylo by the throat and he seemed about to faint. But then, in one last effort, Kylo took a huge samurai sword from his back and used it to decapitate Lucca. Their bodies fell to the ground and Kylo, still trying to catch his breath, kicked Lucca's head and it burned as it was bathed in sunlight, and then his body also turned to ashes.

Kylo leaned against the wall and gasped. The scent of fresh human blood hit Rey's nostrils and she felt her throat dry. Her predatory instinct sending her to attack the bruised prey. She approached him slowly and he seemed more concerned with trying to stop the blood coming out of the wound than with her approach. As she crouched beside him, Kylo pulled a dagger from somewhere and pressed it against her chest, the tip directly over her heart.

"Don’t come any closer to me. I still have the strength to finish you."

Rey lifted her arms, surrendering, and looked him in the eye. "You need help, or you'll bleed to death." she said, not knowing why to offer help to her biggest enemy.

"Believe me, I've been in worse situations, much worse."

"Let me help you." He looked at her suspiciously "You could have killed me now, but you didn’t. Let me return the favor." he seemed in doubt "Please let me help you."

He stared at her for a moment, as if calculating his chances of surviving without her help, then lowered the dagger slowly and nodded.

Rey helped him take off his leather jacket and saw that the source of the bleeding on his arm wasn’t so bad. Then she tore a strip of her own blouse and wrapped it around his arm. Then she lifted his black blouse and exposed his abdomen. Lucca had scratched him, leaving deep wounds and Kylo would need stitches. And this she couldn’t do.

She looked from the wound to his face. "You need to go to a hospital. Let me call the emergency." She said taking the phone out of her pocket.

"No, they would ask a lot of questions."

"You need a doctor."

He stared at her for a few seconds. "Do you know how to drive?"

"I do."

"Great, I left my car in the warehouse garage. Can you help me get there?"

"I can." she said and looked around. "But it's still day, and I don’t..."

"Damn, the sun. I didn’t plan to leave any of you alive to tell the story." he looked at his abdomen and then at her. "I just need you to help me get in the car. There's a first aid kit in the trunk."

"I don’t know if that will be enough ..."

"That'll be enough."

Rey nodded. He reached into the back pocket of his pants and handed the car key to her. Then he tried to get up and, had it not been for Rey's agility and speed, he would have fallen.

"Got you." she said, wrapping her arms around his chest.

"It's okay, I can do it myself." Reluctantly, Rey released him and he managed to stand on his own. But instead of walking out of the building, he began to gather the weapons he had been using in his killing. Rey rolled her eyes, but said nothing and began to help him with the task. She had just recovered the huge sword he had used to kill Lucca when a huge body passed her screaming and collided with Kylo's, throwing him hard against the wall.

Hunter and vampire rolled on the floor.

Rey gasped as she saw that, even though he was bruised and blood-soaked, Kylo Ren fought like an angry beast, his long black hair fluttering with every stroke he struck at the vampire. He managed to hit several punches on his opponent before the vampire realized that even wounded Kylo wouldn’t be an easy prey. Again, without thinking about what she was doing, Rey went up to the two of them and, when the opportunity arose, she used the sword to save Kylo's life.

Kylo was panting and looked surprised at her as the vampire's decapitated body turned to ashes. "Thank you." he said at once surprised and grateful. She nodded and reached out to help him up. "I need to see if they're all dead." He said as he stood up.

She looked at him and gave a resigned sigh. "I’ll do it." she said, surprising both of them. "You're badly hurt."

He gave her a half-puzzled, half-suspicious look. "Do you want to kill those of your own kind?"

Rey looked at the ash heap beside him. "It wouldn’t be the first time." Rey held the sword in front of her body, searched every corner of the place and found no one else.

"I think I'm the last." she said, and handed him the sword.

"Now that we're safe, you can help me."

She frowned at the ‘we're safe’. She was perfectly safe before he got there, but she thought it best not to comment. "It would be easier if I carried you, you know that?"

"I can walk." he said stubbornly.

"Would you rather bleed to death than let a woman carry you?"

"I have..."

"Been worse. Yes, you already told me that." Rey interrupted. "You could at least let me call the emergency."

Kylo stared at her. "You mean call one of your vampire friends and tell them I'm here wounded and vulnerable, that I am an easy prey and so you will be responsible for my capture and death?"

Irritated, Rey walked up to him, leaving mere inches between their bodies, took his hand and put the sword she still held in it, took it to her neck and let it go. "Get it over with or let me help you."

For a moment Kylo seemed to consider killing her. It would have been much simpler if he'd wiped out all the damned vampires from that place and go home to take care of his wounds. He knew that was the right thing to do. But he couldn’t. There was something very familiar in her eyes. Something that made him feel strangely secure. Something that made him want to keep her safe. Then he drew the sword from her neck. "It wouldn’t be right. You helped me and I owe you."

With difficulty, Kylo put his sword and dagger in place and handed her his jacket so Rey could protect herself from the sun and only then allowed her to support him and help him walk.

The two walked slowly and carefully, for Rey needed to get around the places bathed directly in the sunlight. The scene around them was creepy. There were stains of burned bodies and ashes scattered on all sides. Some vampires had died inside their coffins.

Rey forced herself not to breathe. Her body didn’t need the air and it was a relief not to have to smell it. Beside her, Kylo seemed increasingly weak, and halfway to where the car was, he lost consciousness and fainted.

One of the advantages of being a vampire was strength. Easily, Rey took Kylo Ren's massive body in her arms and led him to where he had left his car. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the sun didn’t reach that part of the warehouse. She opened the back door of the car, carefully tucked Kylo into the passenger seat, then searched for the first aid kit.

Rey couldn’t help but smile at the size of the box that was the first aid kit. Kylo was a very cautious man indeed. She took the huge box, turned on the car's internal light, and examined the unconscious man. He was pale. And if she didn’t do something to stop the loss of blood, he would eventually die and ...

"I should let you die." she whispered. But instead of watching him bleed to death or feeding on him like any of her kind, Rey began to take off his clothes to see the extent of his wounds. The worst of them was the abdomen. Lucca had done a great deal of damage before his head was ripped out. Carefully, she wore Kylo's blouse to press the wound and after a few moments, the blood flow subsided to a halt. Then she cleaned it as best she could and began to suture.

After bandaging his abdomen, Rey began to treat the other wounds and it was only when she finished treating him and covered his body with a blanket she had found in the trunk that she realized that she had just helped a bleeding human and that, at no time, had felt the urge to feed on him.

Rey then settled into the passenger seat and waited for Kylo to wake up.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kylo woke up and took some time to figure out exactly where he was. His head was dizzy and it took him a moment to realize he was lying in the back seat of his car. His whole body ached, but he'd expected to feel much worse after all the blows he'd taken and the blood he'd lost.

"You woke up." Said a vaguely familiar voice from the front seat. The inner light came alive and he could see that it was the vampire he had saved. "I did the best I could with your first aid kit."

Kylo lifted the blanket that covered him and saw that his wounds were bandaged. "Thank you."

"I couldn’t go out in the sunshine, but the sun is almost settling in. I think you'd better go, this place is considered safe and soon other vampires will start coming in. And when they see the massacre inside, they'll want look for survivors and if they smell you here, they'll kill you. "

Ben tried to get up and the pain made him lie down again. He took a deep breath.

"Do you want to take some painkillers?" Rey said taking the pills from the medical kit.

"Yes, please."

Rey handed the bottle of painkillers and a bottle of water to him "You also need some antibiotics. I can take you to a hospital and there..."

"I don’t want to go to a hospital." he said, trying to sit down once more.

"But you need to..."

"I know." he interrupted her "Do you mind taking me home? I have antibiotics there."

Rey was petrified for a moment "You don’t want to go to the hospital to be treated by other humans, but you want a vampire to take you home? Did you hit your head? Do you have any idea how much vampires hate you and what they would do to you if they found out where to find you? "

He looked at her with cold eyes. "I know how much your people can be creative, I've seen it with my own eyes many, many times, but at the moment I have no choice but to trust you."

"Are you going to kill me when we get there?"

"No."

"Promise?"

"I promise." he said and then added "But if you tell someone where I live, I'll hunt you down and kill you slowly. Very slowly. "

Rey ignored the threat and settled into the driver's seat. The sun had just set when she left the warehouse garage. Instead of speaking his address to her, Kylo was telling her which street she should go and where to turn and when. She drove for about two hours and had the impression that he was more concerned about making her lose her sense of direction than getting home. Rey didn’t care. Someone who was as hated as he was, should even take all kinds of care not to be found. When they passed near a hospital, Rey suggested leaving him there so that his injuries would be treated by someone who knew what he was doing. But he refused, said she had done a great job and asked her to move on.

Rey had hoped that the house of a vampire hunter would somehow be a haunted, shadowy building, isolated from other houses, with dead trees and dry grass in the garden. But Kylo Ren's house was a normal house like anyone else's. It was a huge two-story house, painted in soft shades of green, which matched perfectly with the vegetation that dominated the sidewalks and the curb and the garden was beautiful and well kept.

She parked the car and was getting ready to say goodbye and leave when he told her that the garage control was in the glove compartment. She opened the garage door and maneuvered the car to the door and stepped on the brakes. Even if she stepped on the accelerator, her body couldn’t enter the house without him giving her permission to enter. Once more she thought of leaving and once again he surprised her.

"You can come in." She looked at him in the rearview mirror and their eyes met. He nodded and said "You can go on."

A mixture of adrenaline and fear made a shiver run through her body and she got in the garage, closed the door, and hung up the car. Kylo opened the back door and between moans of pain and a careful and shallow breathing, he managed to get to his feet. Rey also left, and even in the most complete darkness she could see him struggling to where the switch was. The light bathed them and he opened the door that gave access to the house. And when she didn’t follow him inside, he looked at her, confused. She was standing next to the car, fear flickering in her hazel eyes and she didn’t even seem to be breathing.

"I didn’t know that a vampire could grow even paler." He said with a hint of amusement in his voice. She swallowed and stared at him. "Come on, there's no reason to be afraid."

Rey took a deep breath and forced herself to follow him. "You're wrong. I have many reasons to be afraid. You are the most feared hunter there is and I am in your house. "

Kylo just rolled his eyes and then guided her into the kitchen. He was feeling weak and hungry.

Rey leaned against the doorframe and watched him rummage in the refrigerator. Minutes later, he had a huge glass of fruit shake in his hands.

"Fruits and milk help in recovery when blood is lost."

Of course this shouldn’t be the first time he had been through this. "I still think you should be in a hospital."

He ignored her suggestion one more time and changed the subject. "How long have you lived in that refuge?"

"Just under a month, I guess." When you are immortal, you end up seeing the passage of time differently.

"I was looking for a vampire master named Hux. Do you know if he was there?"

"That is one of several places where he usually carries the vampires he transforms or those who are under his protection. I never saw him there, but the guy who almost yanked your guts was one of his subaltern and he was responsible for the place." Rey watched him close his fist. "Hux is a master. I find it very difficult for him to choose to spend the day in a place that can be found and attacked so easily by you or any other hunter."

"Do you know him?"

"Not personally, but I know who he is and how powerful and dangerous he is. I try to keep myself off the radar of vampires like him.” Rey had heard what Hux was capable of. He was a cruel vampire both with his pray and with those of his own kind who refused to do things the way his way. "And if you were, I'd forget about his existence."

Kylo looked at her. "Do you have any idea why I hunt vampires?"

She shrugged and then said "For fun, for the adrenaline? Because you want to protect humans? Or because you like to see their bodies turning to ashes?"

"Revenge."

"Revenge?" She repeated, frowning.

He indicated the chair in front of which he was and she sat down.

He had never revealed that story to anyone else. The memories were too painful, and who would believe him? A vampire would surely believe it.

"When I was a kid, my parents took me and my friends Korrie, Rose and Paige to camping. It was a whole new experience for us and we were really happy. We were around the campfire listening to my father tell horror stories when our own life became a horror story. Five vampires came as quietly as death and surrounded us." He took a long sip of water and continued "My family and my friends were massacred. The vampires not only fed, they played with us, they were cruel. They did everything they wanted with us, and when they thought they had had enough fun, they fed on our torn bodies. I still don’t know how I survived. Days passed until someone missed us and came looking for us. They found me unconscious, clinging to the decomposing bodies of my parents. When I woke up at the hospital, I swore I would kill them all, even if I had to end up with every vampire on the face of the earth to find them. I told the police everything that happened and I described the killers in the smallest detail and they did the sketch of them. I just omitted the kind of monsters they were, for I knew they would never believe me if I said the killers were vampires."  
“After I recovered, I moved in with my uncle Luke, and even to him I didn’t say we were attacked by vampires. As I grew older, I was preparing for my revenge. I researched, I learned to fight. I read about the myth of vampires in every culture and learned every way to kill them, even those that seemed absurd. When I came of age, I started my hunt. I needed to learn how to locate the refuges and how to enter without being perceived. At first I thought I would end up dead, but with every refuge I destroyed and gained experience, I also gained confidence. And then the vampires started hounding me too. They wanted to find out who was the human being daring to hunt them down. It was at this time that uncle Luke got sick and I decided to stop hunting for a while to stay with him. He was the only family I had. Unfortunately, when we looked for medical help, the disease was already well advanced and the only thing doctors could do was to help him live his last days without pain. Months after his death, I decided to move. The vampires were already alert in that part of the country and I had nothing else to hold me in one place."  
"I went back to this city and to the house that I had lived with my parents. It was then that I actually started looking for those responsible for the massacre of my family. I had kept a copy of the drawings the police had made, and of course their faces were clear in my mind. First I met the youngest with black hair. His name was Mitaka and he had been playing with Paige as if she were a meat doll. He raped her and ripped off pieces of her body. I knew he liked to play, so I used a bait and he fell right into my trap. Every day I would take a bit of him and then burn the wound so that he couldn’t regenerate. In the end there wasn’t much left of him to see burn in the sun, but even so that was his end. I got the name of the other four vampires from him. I managed to track down the woman first. Phasma was her name. She had killed my father. I tortured her for about a month until I finally put an end to her. I tied her outside and watched her burn to the ashes when the sun touched her skin." Kylo looked into her eyes "Canady was next, he tortured Korrie by breaking every bone in her body. I can still hear her screams in my nightmares. I made him scream too and said that he would get rid of the pain if he told me where to find Hux, the redhead or Snoke, the deformed old man who was the master of all of them. He told me about some places that belonged to Hux and said that Snoke had chosen my family because he liked my mother's scent. Then I got rid of his pain by plucking his head off. "  
Kylo ran his hands through his hair before continuing. "Hux was next on my list. He had bitten Rose's entire body and drained all her blood. I've worked hard to find his trail. So to get his attention, I started killing master vampires everywhere. I'd smashed whole covens until he'd finally decided to show up. That's when I met the biggest challenge of my hunter's life. Hux was smarter than I had imagined and had set a very ingenious trap for me. If it hadn’t been for my instincts, I would have died before I even saw the first vampire. The wound took a while to heal, but I managed to escape and this made me double my care with my safety. When I went back hunting, well, you saw what I did in your refuge yourself. "

Rey nodded and it took her a moment to find her voice again. "You have every right to take revenge and I understand your hatred for the vampires, but not all of them act like monsters. Some, like me, were turned against will and served as toys of the most powerful until they were able to strengthen themselves enough to defend themselves. And many of us feel remorse for having to kill me humans to continue existing."

"Vampires with conscience? This is news. I always thought you saw us as cattle."

She ignored the sarcasm in his voice. "You want information. So that's what I'm here for?"

"You are here because you saved my life even though I destroyed your refuge and destroyed your friends...”

"They were not my friends."

"Even so. You did not kill me when you had the chance."

"And you also didn’t kill me when I was vulnerable." She looked him in the eyes "I heard the stories about you, stories of how you, alone, ended whole refuges and managed to annihilate even the strongest of us. I also know that even wounded as you were, you still had the strength to kill another twenty vampires and walk out on your own." He gave a half smile and nodded. "May I ask why you spared me?"

Kylo sighed. "Maybe you're right and I just wanted to get information from you." She gave him a skeptical look. He sighed before continuing. "When I saw your face, you seemed so familiar and I felt I couldn’t kill you. I'm not sure how to explain it, but somehow I felt connected to you, as if I had seen you before."

"I lived and died a few decades before you were born."

"I know, it doesn’t make any sense ... but neither does it change what I felt."

"You know Hux will increase the protection of the refuges and the coven, don’t you? And that he will not stop hunting you until he finds you?"

"I know, and I'll be ready for anything." Kylo looked her in the eye. "Can he feel you're still alive?"

"No. I was transformed by a vampire named Unkar Plutt and you killed him many years ago. Only he could feel if I was alive or not. By the way, thank you so much for getting rid of that bastard."

"So, what are you going to do? Are you going back to one of Hux's refuges?"

Rey frowned. "I get it right? Are you really going to let me live?"

"You saved my life. If you hadn’t stopped the bleeding, I would have died on the way to the hospital."

Rey nodded "One life for another."

"Exactly."

"I don’t want to look ungrateful for the chance to go on living, but I'm a monster. You're a monster hunter. Even if I saved your life, not only have I killed a lot of humans but I'll keep killing them when I leave."

"Do you really have to kill them?"

Rey thought for a moment. How to explain to a human the frenzy caused by blood? "No, I don’t have to kill. But Kylo, you have to understand that blood isn’t just our food. Blood is almost like a drug and the more you neglect your thirst, the stronger it gets. When you taste the blood it's hard to stop sucking before you kill the prey. "

"Have you tried looking for other sources of food?"

She frowned. "You mean animal blood?"

"Yes."

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple. In my first weeks as a vampire I was so disgusted with what I had become that I refused to take a human life to keep my cursed existence. So I started feeding on animals. And that was a gigantic mistake. The blood quenched my thirst for a while, but when it came back, it was devastating. And over time, I had to kill more and more animals, and then one night came when I couldn’t be satisfied even taking the blood of a whole herd of cattle. At that moment, I decided that I would wait for the sunrise and end it all. If I couldn’t live with the blood of animals then I would not live. It was just over an hour before dawn when I heard footsteps coming toward me. I was lying on the grass, surrounded by animal bodies, and a man came straight at me. I was all bloody and he did not think twice about trying to help me, thinking I was hurt. When his hand touched me and I smelled him..." Rey closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I didn’t have the strength to resist. My survival instinct spoke louder than my desire not to hurt a human... When I had taken up the last drop of his blood, I felt fully sated and alive. Alive as I hadn’t felt since the day I had been transformed months ago. So I embraced my new life and went back to Plutt's coven." She opened her eyes and there was a mixture of pity and disgust in Kylo's face. "Only the blood of humans is able to satisfy us. And, maybe it's possible not to kill. But strong self-control is necessary. And I still haven’t been able to strengthen mine to such an extent."

"I'm sorry." he said and Rey was surprised. "You've saved my life twice and I still don’t know your name."

Rey smiled. "I am Rey."

Kylo held out his hand to her. "I'm glad to meet you, Rey."

"Glad?" Rey looked at him, suspicious, but there was nothing but sincerity in his face.

"Yes. And despite what you are and what you need to do to stay alive, I give you my word that I will not hurt you, I will not even touch your hair without permission."

She felt her body relax and let out a relieved sigh with his promise not to hurt her, though there was no way for Kylo to keep her imprisoned or prevent her from running away during the night. That's why he always attacked by day, when the vast majority of her people were vulnerable. He seemed to read it in her face.

"I know you're only here because you want to be." Rey nodded and he got up. "I need a shower and I need a lot of rest, you can spend the day here if you want."

"I appreciate your kindness, but I think it best to leave."

"Do you still think I'm going to hurt you?"

Rey also stood up. "On the contrary, you are safe and secure here and I fear that if I stay, my presence may attract other vampires who, unlike me, will want to kill you."

"They can only come in if invited."

"I know, but we can be very patient when we want to kill someone."

Kylo nodded. "I don’t mind taking the risk." he approached her. "Do you have some safe place in mind?"

"I can think of some..."

"I bet none is as safe as staying here," he interrupted "My basement is sheltered from the sun, that's where I interrogate the vampires I capture, you will not find a safer place to stay."

There was genuine concern in his face and she had not expected it. Rey sighed and nodded. "Thank you, Kylo."

"You're welcome."

Kylo climbed the stairs slowly and Rey could hear him rummaging in drawers and opening and closing doors. He came down with a bunch of clothes in his arms and handed it to her. "My clothes will get huge on you, but at least you can change and get comfortable." he said as he led her through the house. He moved a picture on the wall and it opened a panel that hid a door, took a key from his pocket and used it to open it. The door was thick and it would take a lot of power to pull it out.

"Nice door."

He looked at her, smiled, and then turned on the light.

Rey had waited for a dirty place filled with instruments of torture and bloodstains. But the place was clean and organized. And instead of instruments of torture, there was only a huge brown couch, a coffee table and a huge tv.

"This is my rest room, where I expect the vampires to wake up so I can continue our conversation." he said, noting the look of doubt on her face. "The interrogation room is hidden behind the wall."

He then opened a small closet and took from there clean sheets and a pillow and he arranged the couch that would serve as a bed for her. Rey stood, watching the place as he set the couch. There really was no window or other exit beyond the door through which they entered.

"It's not as comfortable as a bed, but it sure is more comfortable than a coffin. I hope you can rest."

"It's perfect, thank you."

He walked up to a wall and pulled out a curtain. There was another hidden door. "The bathroom is here."

"Thank you, Kylo."

"My pleasure, Rey. I need to rest. I'll see you when the sun goes down."

Kylo walked out of the basement and left her there, alone, trying to understand the situation the two of them had gotten themselves into.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Rey woke hours before the sun went down. Unlike many vampires her age, she could wake up from daytime sleep after noon and that gave her a great advantage when it came to surviving.

Before falling asleep, she had thought of all the places she could go when night came and remembered one or two that would be safe. Maybe not safe as the basement of the most feared vampire hunter of all time, but at least there would only be vampires there. And there could be no safer place than among her kind, right?

Only something inside said that she would never find a safer place than the one she was in, even though it seemed absurd to feel safe next to someone like Kylo Ren. Yes, he had spared her life and she had saved his life ... more than once, actually. The story of his family's murder had brought back some memories she had buried deep in her mind, tried to forget, but they resurfaced. And it was because of these memories that she had decided it was best to leave. Staying there would be dangerous for both Kylo and her.

Rey woke up determined to leave and walked restlessly in the basement trying to think what she would do from then on. Her eyes rested on a pen and a paper pad. She took the objects and looked at them briefly before writing:  
_I think it will be safer for both of us if I leave. Thank you for not killing me.  
Rey. _

She read what she wrote and added:  
_PS: The couch is more comfortable than it seems to be._

Rey set the message down on the coffee table, changed her clothes, and as she felt the night's arrival, she teleported herself to the refuge Kylo had attacked the day before. There would be the last place any other hunter would enter and she would have time to decide what to do next.

\---

Two days after the attack on the refuge, the news that she had survived and had managed to hurt Kylo Ren reached Hux's ears. Two huge vampires found her in the refuge where she was and 'invited' her to go to their master.

Rey had imagined that someone with a fame as terrible as Hux would look very different from what she found. She had imagined Hux to be a big vampire with a fierce look. But he seemed anything but ferocious, and though he was Kylo's height, he was slender and the red hair framing his youthful face gave the impression that he was a sweet, innocent person.

As she entered the great room surrounded by vampires of all ages, colors, and sizes, her gaze was soon drawn to the university-faced red-haired vampire. Though he seemed young, Rey could feel the aura of power and authority around him. Rey bowed and waited for the master vampire to speak.

"Welcome to my home." Rey nodded. "So, child, is it true what my proteges told me about you? Is it true that you not only survived that bastard's attack but managed to hurt him?"

"It's all true." Rey took the backpack off her back and took out a plastic bag with the clothes she had worn the day of the attack. She took off her soaked blouse with the hunter's blood and watched the reaction of some vampires around her as they recognized Kylo's scent.

"What is the name of your creator?"

"Unkar Plutt."

Hux smiled. "Your master must be very proud of you."

"My master was killed by that damned hunter many years ago. The few of the surviving Plutt lineage had gone out to hunt and sought shelter in other refuges at dawn. But Kylo Ren killed them later and I was the only one of Plutt's lineage left. "

"I'm so sorry." Hux looked around "You would be a nice addition to my coven.

"It would be a great honor to be at your side, master."

"Then it will be."

A week after joining Hux's coven, Rey decided to go to Kylo's house. She just could not stop thinking if he was still alive. She teleported to a street near his and walked to the front of the house. She felt the relief invading her when she saw that the lights were on, and a few minutes later she saw his silhouette through a window. "Glad you're still alive." she said and smiled. Rey was tempted to say hello, but before falling into temptation and exposing himself to unnecessary risk, she left.

\---

Living in the coven of a master like Hux was a completely new experience. Rey saw facets of the vampires she had never imagined existed. Hux was a sadistic vampire and was pleased to see his pray suffering.

When Kylo told her the story of his family's murder, Rey had imagined something very bad. But it was there, in that place, that Rey could see something similar to what little Kylo had witnessed.

About three weeks after joining the new coven, what Hux's subalterns vampires called 'the game of prey' happened. A few decades ago Hux had invented a game where humans were captured, divided into groups and placed in an arena to fight. Who last stand would have as a prize be turned into a vampire and the losers would be dinner. Over the years, a structure had been set up and now the audience could watch the 'fights' comfortably seated or choose to stay close to the banquet.

Hux sat in a prominent place and had chosen some of his subalterns to stand by his side and that was where Rey was. These chosen ones would have the honor of feeding on the blood of the victors and transforming them into new vampires. From there she could witness how much the coven was bustling with the 'games'. Hux stood up and the vampires quieted down.

"Everyone is very welcome to another game of prey. I hope you can enjoy the entertainment of the night." Hux's speech made her shudder. Yes, humans were their source of food, but what Hux was doing was cruel. "Let the games begin!"

The first group of humans was thrown into the arena and the struggle for survival began. Only a human would leave there alive and be graced with the gift of immortality. The others would be the coven banquet. The first round was won by a redheaded woman who managed to bring down two women and three men much larger than her. A rope was thrown and she left the arena. The sides of the arena opened and the bodies of the five humans were removed and taken to the audience, where many vampires waited to feed.

The next group had only men and in less than ten minutes the winner, a black kid almost the age that Rey had when she was transformed, managed to leave the other five unconscious. The boy looked around as he was pulled out of the arena, and to Rey's surprise he begged them to let him go. But there were only two exits there: as a vampire or as trash.

Hux laughed and walked over to the boy. "Do not you want our gift, child?" the boy just shook his head "Oh, that's really unexpected." he looked at the boy for a moment that seemed endless "Unfortunately, you only have two options: stay down and turn food, or stay up here and become a predator like all of us." The boy looked at the place where the other vampires fed on the men he had won. "You decide." continued Hux. "Turn one of us or turn one of them." The boy's hands were shaking and, with a slight nod, he accepted his fate. Hux smiled. "Good. It was not that hard to choose, was it?" The boy did not even move. "What's your name, boy?"

Only then did he look the vampire in the eye. "My name is Finn."

"Finn." Hux put a pale hand on his shoulder. "You're a brave boy. I'm going to allow one of the bravest vampires in my coven to transform you." Hux looked at Rey where she was. "Rey was the only one of us who managed not only to survive an attack from our greatest enemy, but also almost managed to kill him, she is a survivor, just like you."

Finn looked into her eyes for a second.

"As you wish, master." said Rey. Hux smiled and sat down again. One of his subalterns took Finn by the arm and locked him in the cell of the winners, where he could watch other humans going through the same test that he had just passed.

When finally the last survivor was taken out of the arena, totaling eleven humans that night, Hux motioned for his chosen ones to position themselves. It was time to feed and transform the surviving humans. Most were bruised, their faces covered with bruises, scrapes, or pieces of missing skin. But there were those who had left unharmed. Hux, like the master, chose the one who would have the honor of being transformed by him. Rey was not surprised when he chose the human who had been cruelest and violent. In this case, it was a woman in her thirties who was blond and had laughed while beating the head of one of her opponent on the floor until his brain was on display.

This was the first time that Rey had participated in the games and it was also the first time that she would transform someone. It was considered a great honor when a master vampire chose you to start your own coven and thus recognized you as a master too. And it was the vampires you created that constituted your base of power and the more you transformed, the stronger your coven became.

Finn lay in front of her and looked her straight in the eye. There was fear, a lot of fear in his eyes. "This is going to hurt?" he dared to ask with a whisper as she knelt beside him.

"Only if you resist. Try not to fight and I promise that it will all be over soon."

Finn nodded, looking resigned to his fate.

Hux gave a signal and it all began. Rey tried to be as gentle as possible with the boy. As her fangs ripped at the skin of his neck, Finn gave a groan of pain, but she didn’t try to disentangle herself from her embrace. Rey drank and drank. That was a turning point, for if the vampire drained too much of his prey, it would die for good. So she took care of drinking just enough to leave him as close to death as possible, cut her wrist and fed him with her blood, creating a bond with Finn that could only be broken by her definitive death. Minutes later his heart stopped beating and he died.

In three days Finn would be reborn for his new life as a vampire.

After all of them had given their blood to the dying humans, some of Hux's subalterns took the humans to a place where they would be safe until their rebirth.

On the third night, when Finn awakened to his new life, Rey was there beside him. For a moment he looked confused. His senses were now extremely sharp and he needed some time to adjust to his new perceptions.

"Welcome to your new life." said Rey, helping him to rise from the coffin.

Finn looked at her and there was a look of genuine wonder in his eyes. He smiled and looked around "I didn’t know the world could be so beautiful at night."

"Come on, it's time for me to take you to hunt."

Finn looked confused. "I'll have to kill humans?" there was pain and apprehension in his voice. Rey felt her heart squeeze. This had been her reaction when Unkar took her to hunt.

"Yes."

"What if I refuse?"

She gave him a sad smile. "Did you have any favorite foods when you were human?"

He frowned, confused, but replied, "I think so. I really enjoyed eating candies, any type, anytime.”

Rey nodded. "How did you feel when you had to go without eating candies?"

He thought for a moment "I felt ... strange, as if it were incomplete and empty, and I kept waiting for the moment when I could start eating candy again. And when I started, I did not want to stop until I had finished with the whole box, even if my stomach was full."

"It's the same with vampires and blood. You don’t want to stop drinking even if you're already full."

"Is there no other way? I can feed on animals and..."

"It will not work. It's like trying to satisfy the urge to eat sweets by drinking water." Finn wanted to protest, but she continued "I've tried it myself."

"You didn’t want to kill humans either?"

"No."

"But now you kill them."

Rey gave him a tired smile. "I've learned to accept what I am, and maybe you'll live long enough to learn to do the same." Rey took him by the hand "Now I want you to close your eyes. I'll take you to the center of town. It is easier to get a prey that no one will miss."

Finn closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were in a dark alley. Finn's new senses filled his brain with information, and as he smelled his prey, his feet began to move him toward a sleeping human between old pieces of paper and cardboard. Rey just watched as he fed. Finn looked at her as he finished sucking his victim, a trickle of blood running down his chin. "Master, you were right, I tried ... but ... I didn’t want to kill ... I thought I'd stop ... but I ... I ..."

"I know," she said helping him to his feet. "Are you still thirsty?" he shook his head. "It's not a good idea to neglect your thirst, Finn. If you do that, it will overwhelm you and you may end up doing things much worse than drinking the blood of a sleeping human."

He thought for a moment, "I'm still thirsty, master." Rey smiled and together they continued to hunt.

Finn was a smart boy, and in a few days he seemed at ease with his new life. And perhaps his quick adaptation was due as much to the advice of his master as to the presence of a vampire with large, beautiful brown eyes. Eyes that would be extremely tempting, had Rey no longer had a pair of eyes haunting her mind. Finn and Poe had quickly become close and now seemed to be always close to each other. Poe had come from another coven, just like Rey. And just like her, his cruel master had also been killed by Kylo Ren.

The days passed, and when she felt Finn was ready, she allowed him and Poe to go hunting together. She trusted that Poe would keep him safe and out of trouble. The two would have time to be alone and she could pay a visit to an old friend.

When Rey reached Kylo's house, she was surprised to see that he was not only recovered but not alone. She was preparing to cross the street and knock on his door when she saw him leaving the house and there was a blond girl and extremely smiling with him. The girl hugged him, he wrapped her shoulders around his left arm and together they walked to the car that was parked in front of his house. Kylo laid a soft kiss on her forehead and she let him go. Before getting in the car, she said "I'll wait for you on Friday." he nodded and she left.

Rey felt an emotion that she had not felt for a long, long time, and it made her angry.

"You cannot be jealous of someone who is not and will never be yours, you silly vampire." she scolded herself. The thought of hunting the smiling girl popped into her mind and she was tempted to realize that thought.

Kylo watched the girl leave, and just as the car turned the corner he walked back to the house. He hesitated before entering and looked back.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The hunter felt someone watching him. Calmly, he turned back to the street and could not help but smile. It was her, Rey.

She was standing on the sidewalk, the light from the post bathing her body.

"You're back!" he said, smiling. "I thought I'd never see you again."

She walked up against him. "I wanted to see how you are."

"I'm fine. Do you want to come in?" he asked, pointing in the direction of the house.

"Do you want me to come in?"

"Yes, please."

Kylo opened the door and stepped inside. Rey stood in the doorway, waiting for him to let him in. "You can come in." she smiled and entered.

"How are your injuries?" she asked, sitting down beside him on the couch.

Ben rested his hand on the spot where Lucca had injured him. "It was nothing. I'll be able to hunt again soon."

"I get the feeling you'd say that until your last breath."

Ben smiled. "Compared to having a stake in my arm, it didn’t even hurt. It took me months to recover and I almost lost my movements."

"You must have many stories to tell."

"Some, but they all end up the same way."

"With the vampires dead."

"Yes." He looked her in the eye. "I found your note, and I thought I'd never see you again. Can I ask where you've been all this time?"

"Wandering around and looking for a safe place to stay."

"And you managed to find this safe place?"

"Yes, I did. I'm under the protection of Hux, now." Kylo's face turned into a frown. "Please, let me finish it before you think about killing me, okay?" he nodded grudgingly. "When I left, I thought a lot about what you told me and everything I've ever witnessed, and I decided that I should help you finish your revenge. Who better to discover the whereabouts of a vampire than another vampire? So I started to spread out that I had managed to get away from you in the massacre of my refuge and that I had managed to hurt you. It was not long before the news reached Hux, and as I had hoped he had his subalterns take me to his coven. When we got there I told him that you invaded our refuge, killed them all without mercy, and that when you reached my coffin, I was able to dig my nails into you and run away. The fact that my clothes were covered with your blood and I, live to tell the story, confirmed everything I said. Hux was quite pleased and invited me to live in his coven."

"You lied so you could help me?"

"I didn’t lie. I just used the truth in my favor."

"And where's the coven?"

"It's not time to attack yet."

"You're not the one to decide that, Rey."

"If you have the patience, I'll find out where Snoke is."

Kylo's eyes lit up. "How?"

"In a few months there will be a celebration. Snoke is one of the oldest of us, and it was he who transformed Hux and all the others who participated in the murder of your family. This celebration will bring together the oldest masters and there will be a great banquet... "

"You mean there'll be a big kill."

"Yes. We will celebrate for three nights. During the celebration, Snoke usually takes with him the vampires that he thinks interesting. Hux is sure Snoke will want me to join him."

"Do you really think Snoke will show up?"

"Yes, I do. All your attacks on the refuges will force him out of his coven." Ben looked at her in confusion. "Masters like Snoke and Hux are responsible for the protection of those they transform and accept under their protection, and when you kill those under their protection, you are diminishing their power, so I suggest you continue to attack the refuges.”

"I got it right? Are you suggesting that I kill your own kind?"

"Yes."

"Believe me, I loved that part of killing more vampires, but it's not that easy to find and invade the refuges. Over time, you've found more and more safe places to stay."

"I'll tell you where the refuges are, how to get into them and how many vampires you can find there."

"You will ... you would be condemning everyone to certain death."

"I know."

"Doesn’t that bother you?"

"Remember that I said that I was turned against my will? My old master wanted more and more power and didn’t care if we were or were not in favor of becoming vampires. He only thought about making his coven bigger. Like many others, I had to learn to accept my destiny. This isn’t a life I would wish for anyone else." She looked him in the eyes. "But when I joined Hux, I had to play the game and I had to turn someone into a vampire. And he was just a scared boy just like I was. And Hux will force me to transform more humans over time, even if I don't want it. We need to lessen his power, make those who seek protection from him go away and leave him vulnerable so you can kill him. And the only way is by attacking the refuges. "

"So you're a master now."

"Yes. Hux recognized me as a master in appreciation for what I did to you."

"I'm sorry you were forced to turn another human."

"Don’t be. I was already expecting that."

He looked at her. "This plan is too risky, Rey. If Hux suspects you're leaking information, he'll destroy you."

"Is the terrible and deadly hunter Kylo Ren worried about my safety?"

"Perhaps."

"And I'm really grateful for your concern, but there's no reason any of them are suspicious of my intentions. After all, hunters can always find our refuges, no matter how hidden or how safe they are."

"I have a much better plan. You take me to Hux and I get information about Snoke from him."

"I can do that. But Snoke will feel the death of Hux and this will keep him alert. You may take the rest of your life trying to catch him and you will not. If I do things my way, the probability that you can surprise him and kill him is greater. "

Kylo pondered for a moment and then sighed, giving up. "Okay, we'll do it your way. But if you think they're suspicious of anything, promise me you'll give up on this plan and run away. "

It was her turn to sigh, "Okay, I promise."

Kylo smiled contentedly.

"I have one more thing to tell you." She said.

"You can talk. I do not think anything can be worse than knowing you're living with Hux."

Rey felt a chill in her stomach and started "Remember why you did not kill me back at the refuge?"

"I remember." A few seconds passed until he continued, "I spared you because I felt like we were connected and I had the feeling that I knew you from somewhere. I still feel the same way."

It was her turn to be silent for a while. "You were right, we've met before, long before you attacked my refuge."

"Where? I cannot remember."

She looked at him and took a deep breath, trying to gather the courage to make her confession. "Kylo... I..." she hesitated and he gave her an encouraging look. "I saved you when they attacked your family."

He looked at her with confusion and disbelief in his eyes. "What?"

"It was I who saved you when they attacked your family." she repeated.

"You were there?" he said in a voice filled with grief.

"Yes, but I didn’t touch anyone!" She hastened to clarify "I swear I didn’t touch anyone! I had just hunt and teleported myself to that forest because that was where I had spent my childhood with the others kids from the orphanage and being a monster was choking me... I was wandering aimlessly among the trees, trying to remember what it was like to be human, when I heard the screams and went there by pure instinct. I smelled them and your blood, and out of fear I hid. When the screams stopped, I heard Snoke ordering everyone to withdraw and Hux asking if he wouldn’t kill you. Snoke laughed and said that you would live your last moments of life watching the beautiful work they had done and they all left. And I knew I couldn’t leave you there. You were just a helpless little boy ... so I came to you. Your life was on the edge and I was afraid I couldn’t do anything to help you. When I touched you, you opened your eyes and looked directly at mine. There was so much pain and fear in your eyes and it broke my heart. I couldn’t let you die..." she took a deep breath. "So I did the only thing that could keep you alive and help you heal. I gave you a few drops of my blood."

Kylo just stared at her and the silence between them was starting to make Rey regret having opened her mouth.

"I shouldn’t have told you anything. Of course the last thing you might want to hear is that you only survived because of a vampi..."

Rey's speech was interrupted by Ben's warm lips over hers. And then his arms wrapped around her and Rey returned his kiss as if her life depended on his lips. Kylo's touch made her body catch fire and she realized that she had longed for this moment from the day she met him again.

Without exactly thinking about what she was doing, probably guided by her instincts, Rey teleported them to Kylo's room.

Still with his lips on hers, Kylo took her in his strong arms and carried her to the bed. He broke the kiss and smiled. "I didn’t know vampires could read minds."

Rey smiled and pulled him for one more kiss. Their hands roamed the body of each other and soon both were without half the clothes.

"Are you sure you want to do this with a vampire?" she said looking into his eyes.

"I've dreamed of you all my life, Rey." he spread kisses down her neck and then whispered in her ear "And I always wondered what it was like to be with a vampire." he bit her earlobe and she felt her body shiver.

Rey smiled and replied, "And I've always wanted to be with a human."

Despite their ardent desire for each other, they made love slowly, exploring and knowing each other's body as if they had all eternity ahead of them.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Rey was cuddled in his arms, her head resting on his chest, listening to Kylo's heartbeat. His hand wandered over her forearm, leaving a delicious trail of warmth on her cool skin.

"Thank you for saving my life."

"I'm sorry for leaving you there with the bodies. I didn’t imagine they'd take so long to look for you."

"Thank you for telling me the truth."

"If we were going to work together, you needed to know the truth."

“I knew that saving you could mean my death, that I was risking my safety and my revenge for thinking that you, somehow was part of my life. "

"I had hopes that you had survived and that I had done some good to someone else, but I never imagined you could remember me."

"I've seen your face in my dreams many times." he said and placed a kiss on her hand. "You were the angel who came to save me when the darkness tried to swallow me."

Kylo fell asleep with Rey safely in his arms, but she knew it was too risky for the two of them if she stayed. She dressed silently in the dark and allowed herself to watch him for a few more minutes. His serene face in his sleep seemed younger. She would love to stay there, but the night would soon be over and she needed to get rid of his scent before returning to the coven. Finn must have been back with Poe already, and he must have noticed her delay in returning from her solitary hunt.

Carefully she placed a light kiss on his lips. To her surprise, Kylo woke, pulled her against his warm body and held her in his arms.

"Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you up."

He smiled, "Don’t worry, I'm a light sleeper."

"I have to go."

"Do you really have to go?"

"Yes. The day will dawn soon."

"You can stay in my basement."

"I'd love to, but we cannot just slip away now that we're about to discover Snoke's hiding place."

"I know, but if it were up to me, you'd never stay away from me."

"I'd love to stay. You have no idea how much I'd like to stay." She kissed him and he squeezed her even harder.

"Will you have time to feed yourself?"

"Don’t worry, I can stay some more time without feeding."

"Will not that make you weak? What if you need to defend yourself?"

His concern made her feel warm inside. "No one is going to try to hurt me in the coven, Kylo. Nobody has a reason for it."

"What if other hunters found the place?"

She smiled, "I'll be fine. The place is very safe and has never been attacked."

"I would feel better knowing that you are fed and have the strength to defend yourself."

"Do you want me to leave here and hurt a human so I will not be hurt?"

"Yes." he said, his voice almost a whisper.

She looked him in the eye and there was so much concern in his eyes, so much fear, so much... love?

"Rey, I couldn’t bear to lose anyone else I love."

No one had ever said that loved her and she didn’t know how to react to what was in his eyes or what she was feeling for him. Then she snuggled into his arms and said, "Okay, I'll feed myself before I go back to the coven."

He kissed her again and Rey needed to break the kiss. "Kylo, I need to go. And if you keep kissing me like that, I will not have the strength to get out of your arms."

"Ben."

"What?"

"My name. My real name is Ben Solo. Kylo Ren is the name I took when I started hunting."

"Ben." she said, loving the sound of that little word.

"I like the way you say it." Rey looked at him and before she spoke, he said, "I know, I know. You have to go."

Then Rey disengaged herself from his arms, gave him one last kiss and left.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The months until the great celebration passed like a blur.

Just as she had promised, Rey gave Kylo information on the most vulnerable refuges and he did what had been arranged.

Whenever it was safe, Rey would go to Kylo. Not only because she needed to pass the information, but because she longed to see him with her own eyes and make sure he was well after each attack on the refuges. And with each visit, with each shared moment, it was more difficult for her to leave.

Hux, in spite of his irritation with Kylo's attacks and his apparent inability to stop the hunter, continued with preparations to receive the other master vampires in the coven. Rey tried to fathom what exactly these preparations were, but Hux said that if he said anything it would spoil the surprise.

When the big day arrived, there was a certain tension in the air and the whole coven seemed to fear that Kylo Ren would appear to kill them at any moment.

Snoke's physical appearance surprised her. Yes, she had heard descriptions of his appearance and knew he was old and deformed, but she had never imagined anything so grotesque. He seemed to have been bathed in acid before being transformed, and the look in his blue eyes was that of a cruel and cold vampire.

Sitting in the chair beside Snoke, Hux made the introductions. "This is Rey." he said. "The only one of our people who not only survived a meeting with Kylo Ren, but also managed to hurt him." Rey bowed to them. A step behind her, Finn did the same.

Snoke looked Rey from head to toe, appraising her, with a slightly curious and surprised look. "Congratulations on your achievement, young Rey. I am very impressed by your strength."

"Thank you, Master. Please allow me to introduce the first member of my coven, Finn."

Snoke looked at him and nodded, dismissing them.

After the end of all the presentations and flattery, Hux announced the great surprise he had prepared for that night.

Rey knew how vicious the vampires could be with their prey, but she never imagined that vampires could be so cruel to those of their own people. As the doors to the games arena opened, she came upon one of the most grotesque scenes she had ever seen in her life. Vampires had been trapped in cages with silver-plated chains so they could not break free and their bodies had shriveled to the point that they looked like skeletons covered by a thin layer of pale skin. There were at least fifteen vampires in those conditions.

"These are the vampires who have dared to challenge me over the centuries." Snoke said. "Each and every one of them came very close to killing me and they are kept as a reminder that I must always be vigilant."

Snoke gestured to the subalterns in the arena and what followed was a massacre. Newly created vampires were thrown into the cages and the chained vampires devoured them.

"The vampires that were devoured today aren’t worthy to share this world with us. They were weak and undisciplined and should be eliminated. "

Rey tried not to show anything but an air of amusement, although the most complete horror dominated her. She couldn’t understand how a master had the courage to choose among those of his own creation to be sacrificed (that was the only word she could think of) as part of the entertainment in Snoke's games.

The bond she had created with Finn was so strong she could not imagine allowing anyone to harm him. She could see the horror on Finn's face, and beside him Poe held his hand and seemed to make the same effort she did not show his displeasure at what he was seeing. Finn's face changed after Poe whispered in his ear.

All that horror was not happening for free, just to entertain the vampires present. It also served as a message to anyone who was thinking of taking advantage of Kylo's attacks on the refuges to incite betrayals, to think well before doing anything.

At the end of the third night of celebration, when the great banquet was over, Snoke invited her to accompany him when he left for his coven and Rey accepted.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ben received her with a huge smile, let her in, and as soon as he closed the door, he pulled Rey into his arms and kissed her until both of them were out of breath.

"Time does not seem to pass when you're away from me," he said, hugging her.

"I know, Ben. "She said looking him in the eye." And I brought some great news. I already know where Snoke's coven is."

Rey hoped Ben would be happy with the news. But there was only sadness in his eyes. "I thought you'd be happy with the news. We're getting closer to completing your revenge."

"I want you away from Snoke and Hux and that coven, Rey. Please, get Finn and get out of there. I don’t even want to imagine you getting hurt during the attack."

Rey smiled and put her hand on his face. "You don’t have to worry about me, I know how to defend myself very well. Finn and I will be fine."

"Rey, please." he begged.

"I'm not going to leave you alone, Ben, I said I'd help you get revenge and I meant it, I'm going with you to the end."

He hugged her and whispered in her ear, "I cannot lose you. My life no longer makes sense without you in it, Rey."

"You won’t lose me." she said, trying to hold back the tears. "I swear you'll never lose me."

"If you really want to continue helping me, I need you to be very careful and redouble your attention."

"I'll do it, I promise."

"Great."

They sat on the couch side by side. "Before we think about Snoke, you must first kill Hux and his subalterns. If you attack Snoke without killing Hux, he will know that his master is in danger and will try to help him. Believe me when I say that you will not want to face two master vampires at once." He nodded, agreeing, Rey took a sheet of paper out of her pocket "I've prepared a map of the place. Hux sleeps in this room along with six other subalterns who look like him physically in equal coffins. But you know him and will know what the real Hux is." Rey explained about the operation of the coven, which were the safest entrances and exits for him to use, and Kylo seemed very interested in knowing how to get to the place where the cages with the imprisoned starving vampires stayed.

"You need to go somewhere else." he said. "I don’t want you near that place when I attack."

"Don’t worry, I already thought about that. I'm going to take Finn out to hunt. He's curious about what it's like to feed on animal blood and it's my responsibility to teach everything I know to him. And we will be joined by Poe, Finn's companion."

"Is he strong?"

"Maybe as strong as Lucca was."

"Do you think you can trust him?"

Rey thought for a moment, "I know I can trust Finn. And I think Poe trusts me for the same reason."

The two discussed the last details, and when Kylo was able to identify all the rooms and entrances and exits of the place, Rey was allowed to return to the coven.

The night before the attack, Rey took Finn and Poe to a town in the interior that was surrounded by farms with large herds of cattle. There they could hunt without attracting attention. Poe asked them to wait for him in the woods while he investigated whether it was safe for Finn to feed.

When they were alone, Finn surprised her by saying, "Master, I know your secret."

"I don’t know what you're talking about, Finn. I have no secrets."

"You and the hunter..." he began, but hesitated.

"You followed me?" said Rey, in an angry voice, "Answer Me!"

Finn watched her frightened by the menacing tone in her voice. "I ... did, master."

Rey grabbed him by the chin. "What do you saw?"

"I saw you spying on his house once." Finn said warily.

"What else?"

He averted his eyes from hers. "I saw you coming into his house."

"Did you tell anyone about this? Poe?"

"No, master, I would never betray you!"

"Why did you follow me?"

"I was just curious."

"Don’t lie to me, Finn."

"I was worried about your delay. I thought you might be in danger and decided to search for you. I don’t know how, but something guided me to where you were and I saw ... you and the hunter ..." he hesitated to continue.

"Me and the hunter, what?"

"You two are together ... I mean, you like each other ..." he said in disbelief.

"You don’t approve."

"It's not that. I fear for your life! I heard horrible stories of how he decimated entire refuges and when I heard the story of how you had survived, I thought you hated him, that you wanted him dead... and what I saw made no sense... "

Rey looked at his worried eyes and decided to tell him the whole truth. "I lied about what happened at the refuge. On the day of the attack he spared my life. He saw me in my coffin and could not kill me. And then, when the vampires in the refuge tried to kill him, I helped him. I took him out and took care of his injuries. That's why I was covered by his blood. "

"And you two fell in love." He said, his voice taken in surprise and amazement.

"The story's a bit more complicated, Finn." Rey then told him the story of Kylo's family massacre, how she had saved him when he was a child, that he had recognized her in the refuge and that their trip to hunt was intended to keep the three safe from the attack Kylo was about to make to Hux's coven to kill him.

To her surprise, Finn smiled. "Master, I'd love to help put an end to these bastards."

"Me too." The two turned and met Poe. "I just heard your conversation," he said. "And I want to be a part of the party."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The day had just dawned when Kylo sneaked into Hux's coven more easily than he had expected.

He wandered down the corridors Rey had pointed out and went into the rooms where the vampires stayed. At that time of day, Rey had explained, it was virtually impossible for any of them to wake up, and this would lessen the chances of others being alerted.

With determination and precision, he managed to eliminate all the vampires, except for those with Hux and who served as a shield for him.

When Rey told him about the starving vampires held prisoners, Kylo had the idea of treating Hux with the same kindness that he and Snoke had treated the vampires used to feed them. Hux had bitten Rose's entire body and it seemed perfect that he had a similar end at the hands of the starving vampires.

He went to the room where Hux was. Carefully, he opened each of the coffins and killed all the vampires except Hux. Kylo took the inert body of the vampire, tossed it over his shoulder, and went to the place where the starving vampire cages were.

Even hating the vampires, Kylo could not help but feel pity to see how those in particular were being treated. Kylo chose a cage, broke the chains of the vampire, put Hux inside the cage and locked it.

While waiting for the two vampires to wake up, Kylo went to the other cages and killed all the vampires. For safety, he grabbed one of the silver-plated chains and attached Hux to the bars of the cage. About half an hour later, Hux woke up.

"Welcome to the party, Hux. I'm afraid this will be your last."

Hux looked at him with hatred and surprise. "How did you get in here?"

"Does it really matter?"

"I can give you lots of money if you save me."

Kylo laughed. "The only payment I want is your death."

"I never did anything to you."

"Haven’t you realized who I am? Did you forget about the little boy that you left to die in the forest so easily? "

Hux's mouth opened in surprise. "No. There was no way you could survive. "

"You have more urgent things to worry about." Kylo said, pointing to the back of the cage where the other vampire had just woken up.

Hux begged for mercy as the other vampire fed on him. When Hux's body ran out of blood, Kylo used his sword to cut off their head.

Kylo took one last look at the pile of ashes that Hux turned and walked away.

When it came time to destroy Snoke, Ben was restless, and deep in his heart he was afraid. In a few hours he would have a chance to avenge his family.

He took his sword and got out of the car. He entered where Rey had said it would be safer and he tried to get to work. He killed all the vampires he could find and was heading to the place where Snoke slept when he ran into Rey.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, hugging her. "You promised you'd stay away."

"I couldn’t let you face Snoke alone."

Knowing it was no use arguing with her, they headed for Snoke's quarters. And to their surprise, Snoke was waiting for them along with two of his subalterns. Kylo and Rey were immobilized by them and they took Kylo's sword and threw it away.

"The famous Kylo Ren... or should I call you Ben Solo?" Snoke said as he approached them.

"So, you remember me."

Snoke nodded. "It means you're here to finish your revenge. When Hux was killed, I realized there was a pattern behind all the attacks on our covens and refuges."

Ben smiled. "It was fun to torture them all and watch them turn a heap of ashes."

"I left you dying. You had no way of surviving." Snoke turned in Rey's direction, met her eyes and there was hatred and contempt in his gaze. "Unless somebody helped you." Frowning, Snoke caught her by the throat and then threw her hard against the nearest wall. "You stupid girl! You saved the one who became our tormentor."

Ben tried to get to her, but Snoke stepped between them.

"You'll never again destroy another family like you did mine!" Ben shouted.

Snoke laughed and the sound of his laughter reverberated through the walls. "Do you think what we did to your family was cruel?" He gripped Ben's chin. "I'll show you the real cruelty."

"Do you really think I care what you can do to me?"

Snoke smiled. "And she? You mind what I can do to her?"

For a second, Ben was afraid that he would kill her. For a second Ben thought of sacrificing his life for Snoke to spare hers. But then he looked at her and knew this was not the way out. Snoke would kill her in front of him just to make him suffer and then leave him alive to suffer for her death.

"She's nothing to me." He lied.

Snoke smiled. "I can smell her on you, Kylo Ren."

"I used her to get here. Do you really think someone like me would fall for an insignificant creature like her?" Ben snorted "She's served my purpose. Do what you want with her."

Snoke looked at Rey. There was no fear in her face. But there was pain. Rey understood the sacrifice he was making to keep her safe. She looked at Ben, but he didn’t look back at her. Tears of blood began to stream down her face. Snoke walked over to her and using his index finger, pulled out one of the tears and brought it to his mouth "You silly girl! You fell in love with him!" there was an anger in her voice "Take her away." Snoke ordered. "I'll take care of her later." Then the two vampires led her out of the room, leaving Kylo and Snoke alone.

"Humans, the ephemerality of you has always fascinated me, I have fallen in love with humans sometimes," Snoke said, looking at Ben. "The last one was your mother, Leia. I fell in love the moment I saw her. She had a flame in her eyes that drove me mad, and her scent intoxicated me. But she said she would never be mine. That she would rather die than stay with me." Ben stared at him, puzzled. "Then I killed her. If I couldn’t have her, Han Solo wouldn’t either."

"I'm going to destroy you!" Kylo shouted and dashed to the vampire.

\---

Their plan had definitely gone downhill. Rey thought as she killed the vampires who took her out of the room using the dagger Kylo had given her.

Finn and Poe appeared at the end of the corridor. Rey had hidden them in one of the places where she knew Kylo wouldn’t search for vampires. She felt a slight relief at the sight of them.

"You did it?" Poe asked as they joined her.

"No."  


"Where's Kylo?" Finn asked.

"Inside with Snoke. I underestimated his strength." She started walking toward the living room. "He had a trap ready for us."

"How many vampires are still with Snoke?"

"I just killed the last two."

Ben was almost unrecognizable when Rey entered the room again. His face was a bloody mess and there were many injuries to his body.

Rey retrieved Ben's sword and charged Snoke like an enraged bull. The old vampire had no trouble avoiding the blow and disarming her. Snoke grabbed her by the neck. The look on his face spoke of torture and pain. "I'll make you pay for betraying me, you silly vampire."

And then Rey fell. She looked up and saw that Finn had cut off the arm with which Snoke held her with Kylo's sword. Snoke turned toward Finn and, using his other arm, gave him a blow so powerful that he landed on the other side of the room, almost breaking the concrete wall. Poe advanced against Snoke only to be thrown against the nearest wall as well.

"Be quiet both of you, I'll deal with each of you later."

Rey tried to get up, but Snoke placed his foot on her chest and pressed her to the floor. "I had plans for you. By my side you would become as powerful as Hux... and now you will become ash..."

Snoke gasped and Rey winced as a blade pierced Snoke's chest. A moment later his body was consumed by the fire and turned ashes to her feet.

"Ben!" Ben held his sword with difficulty. He was very pale and it was a miracle that he could stand.

She got up and helped him to sit down. "You promised..." he began, breathing heavily "don’t leave me..."

"I'm here. You saved me Ben. I'm right here"

"I... don’t... live... without... you..."

"I need to get him to the hospital." Rey said, wiping away the tears that kept falling.

"The sun hasn’t yet set." Poe said as he helped Finn to his feet.

"I cannot let him die. I have to find a way out of here."

"Cannot we do anything to help him?" asked Finn. "Master, you saved him once."

"The wounds weren’t so severe the first time. I fear that if I give my blood to him and it don’t take effect in time, instead of healing him, the blood would transform him...

"Then ... transform me." Ben said.

Rey looked at him blankly, as if a second head had just been born on his shoulders. "Have you gone mad?"

"No."

"I cannot ... I will not turn you!"

But Ben would not give up easily. "Please."

"Ben... believe me... this is not the kind of way you want to go. You know us. You know what we do to keep existing. And... you can never have a family with me. I'm dead, I'm just a reanimated corpse, remember? "

Ben rested his hand on her face. "I love you." he said, and then passed out.

"Master," said Finn, kneeling beside them. "He has the right to choose his own way, if he wants to be one of us..."

"You don’t understand, Finn. If I transform him, I will have to see every day as everything that makes him be Ben Solo dying. I know he loves me and I love him with all my might, but I will not bear to see him suffer every time he has to feed on a human, every time he tries not to kill his prey and fail. I cannot bear to see him suffer knowing that I am responsible for condemning him to this suffering! And even if he tries to do the contrary, I know that one day he will end up hating me and abhorring himself. And if I have to lose him, let it be now, with him still human. "

Finn hugged her and she took a deep breath trying to calm down and stop the new stream of tears.

"There is another way." Poe said above them.

Rey looked at him, her face red with the tears. "Which one?"

"You can make him immortal without turning him into a vampire. Just let him drink your blood a few times a month and his body will be as strong as ours and he will stop growing old. "

"Are you sure about that?" said Rey trying not to let hope flourish on her chest.

"Yes, I have seen it done, I have lived with her since the day I was reborn in this life, she was my master's sister and, as far as I know, she is still alive."

"And what happens if he stops drinking the blood?"

"I believe he will grow old again as a normal human."

"You believe? So you're not sure? "

He gave her a sad smile. "Unfortunately not, but at least you have another option besides watching him die."

Rey looked at Ben lying on her lap, pale as death and made the most difficult decision she had ever made in her life.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Ben opened his eyes again, Rey was asleep beside him on the couch. They were in his basement he was alive. He couldn’t be alive! He thought. There was no way he could have survived the wounds... unless she had made him a vampire.

For a moment he watched her sleep. Carefully he rested his hand on her cheek and her skin felt cold.

Her eyes widened and she blinked a few times. Her hand rested on his.

"Ben, I was afraid you wouldn’t wake up."

He smiled, "What happened? Did you make me a vampire? I don’t feel any different from when I was human."

"No. I didn’t."

"No? So how am I alive?"

"Poe showed me another way and it's up to you to decide whether or not to go that way." Then she told him everything Poe had told her.

"I'll be immortal like you, but I'll still be human."

"That's right."

"And we can be together."

"Yes, for as long as you want."

He kissed her. "What do you think about being together forever?"

She smiled. "I think forever will be a good start."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading it!
> 
> Did you like it? Didn't? Please, let me know. Leave a comment. Leave kudos.
> 
> Say "Hello" to me on Tumblr and Twitter: @filhadoboto


End file.
